Guru's Unyielding Compassion for Devotees

Many years ago, Sushri Braj Banchary Didi Ji was giving a week-long lecture series at a temple in New York. She was staying in a room upstairs in the same temple. More than 200 spiritual aspirants attended her lectures every day.

Namita Ji, a devotee who had accompanied Didi Ji from India, found a great deal on a round-trip flight to California. The ticket was only $90, and she asked Didi Ji if she would like to go.

Didi Ji became excited at the prospect of visiting California and told her to book the tickets.

Strangely, Didi Ji completely forgot about the lecture series she was in the middle of giving.

The next day, the two of them boarded the flight to California.

No sooner had the plane taken off than it was as though they had awakened from a slumber.

Didi Ji suddenly remembered the ongoing lecture series.

She couldn't understand what had happened to her. She had never gone anywhere simply for pleasure. Yet somehow she had forgotten her seva and left for California.

She felt miserable.

What could she do now?

With Shri Maharaj Ji's inspiration, she thought there must be some hidden reason behind what had happened.

What Happened in California?

Didi Ji was staying at an ashram in California. The devotees there had arranged a satsang for the evening of her arrival.

After conducting the satsang, she returned to the ashram. The Swami Ji there asked her about the belongings she had left behind at the temple in New York.

Didi Ji found the question strange. Why was he asking about her belongings?

Then he told her.

Soon after Didi Ji and Namita Ji had left, the temple in New York had caught fire. The building had burned, except for the room on the second floor where Didi Ji had been staying.

Shri Maharaj Ji's Charan Paduka

In earlier years, Shri Maharaj Ji used to wear wooden sandals, or charan paduka. When Didi Ji came to the West to propagate Shri Maharaj Ji's teachings, she brought with her a pair that Shri Maharaj Ji had worn while staying with Mahabani Ji in Pratapgarh.

They were so well worn that the impressions of His toes and the outline of His feet could still be seen.

The charan paduka, along with a few pictures of Shri Maharaj Ji, were kept on the altar in her room at the New York temple.

Didi Ji was deeply concerned about them.

She took a flight back to New York.

When she returned, she rushed up the partially burned staircase to her room, fearing the worst.

To her immense relief, Shri Maharaj Ji's charan paduka and picture were safe and undamaged.

Only then did she understand what had happened.

She realized that it was Shri Maharaj Ji's grace that had caused her to forget the lecture series and leave the temple when she did.

That day also happened to be one of the coldest New York had experienced in decades. Had she remained at the temple during the fire, she would have been left standing outside in the bitter cold.

What had seemed completely inexplicable when the plane took off now had an entirely different meaning.

Shri Maharaj Ji's grace had taken her away from danger before she even knew there was danger.